Fayette falls in baseball playoffs, looks ahead to 2027
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Penn State Fayette’s baseball season came to a close with a 12-1 loss to Penn State Scranton in the PSUAC playoffs on May 1, but the Roaring Lions still have one more year to look forward too.
Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, will close its doors next spring and Roaring Lions coach Ryan Encapera intends to field a team for the final go-around.
“The circumstances lurking around the program about the school closing in 2027 has been a consistent dark cloud, but our guys have faced the challenge and made the best of our time together,” Encapera said. “We have a schedule for 2027 and are hopeful we can go out with a memorable year for our guys and the legacy of baseball at Fayette Campus.”
Fayette (10-30) made a late-season charge with a six-game winning streak but found itself facing an 11-run deficit at one point with time running out against Scranton. Just as they closed the regular season strong, they didn’t go down without a fight in their playoff game either.
The Roaring Lions fell behind 5-0 after three innings to Scranton at Showers Field in DuBois before scoring a run in the fourth when AJ Segarra singled in James Knapton. Scranton fired right back with five runs in the bottom of the inning and two more in the fifth to go 12-1.
Fayette didn’t go away quietly though.
The Roaring Lions pushed across four runs in the fifth. Uniontown graduate Hunter Smiley scored on a double by Knapton and Brownsville graduate Jonathan Vasbinder come home on a wild pitch. Fayette added two more in the inning when Manny Stitch was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and on Connor Perry’s RBI grounder.
The Roaring Lions managed three more runs to pull within four in the seventh before Scranton finally closed the door.
Segarra singled in Smiley and Remington Lessman smacked a two-run single to make it 12-8.
Scranton was bailed out by Logan Moss who came on to get a key double play in recording the final three outs.
“We had a slow start and missed opportunities to score early,” Encapera said. “Give credit to Scranton for taking advantage of our mistakes and taking the early lead. By the time we gained some momentum it was too late.
“I’m proud of how our guys fought and battled. The playoff game was kind of like a seven-inning summary of our season. Slow start and fiery finish.”
Segarra had two of Fayette’s five hits. Knapton and Perry each reached base three times with a single and two walks and had one RBI. Smiley also drew two walks and scored twice.
“I was glad to see Auggie (Segarra) come through with some big hits to get us back into the game,” Encapera said.
“I’m thankful for the effort of our players throughout the season. We learned a lot through our experiences and improved in the process.”